


Andy's Tech.

by Queens_Lynn



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce is my favourite, Child Abuse, M/M, NotStark!Tony, ShopOwner!Tony, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tony-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 11:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7713451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queens_Lynn/pseuds/Queens_Lynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Howard was an ass so Jarvis took Tony away. What if Tony wasn't a billionaire? What if he was just the best engineer around and owned a couple of technology stores?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Andy's Tech.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted not-stark!Tony. Like Tony who was taken away and raised as a Jarvis? Basically Tony runs away with Edwin Jarvis, is still a genius and opens a shop. Also a soulmate-AU where the first compliment from your soul mate is written on your skin. Tony is younger than he should be.

Tony's soulmark was not like any Jarvis or anyone had ever seen. It wasn't that he didn't have one, it was that his weren't words. He had eight asterisks in a line across his collar bone. A soul mark was supposed to be the first compliment your soul mate tells you. Tony took it to mean there was nothing good and his soul mate wouldn't like him or anything he did. This idea was confirmed by his father.  
When Tony was six years old Maria was killed in an assassination attempt on Howard.  
The three were out at a gala, charity fundraising. Both of the parents were tipsy, Tony standing in between them on the red carpeted steps as they left the building. The guy was hidden in the mass of reporters gathered around the exit doors, he had a knife hidden up his sleeve. He slipped it slightly out and ran towards Howard. Due to basic training from Peggy (Maria thought she was a badass and Howard thought the skill was hot) Maria managed to twist around as she saw him. Her plan was to cover Tony from any danger but ended up standing in front of Howard, receiving a kitchen knife to the lower back. The knife had been instantly pulled out and the guy had tried to make a run for it.  
Security caught him about twelve running steps later.  
Maria had bled out by the time the ambulance arrived.

Howard had blamed Tony. After that he had steadily grown more drunk and abusive, it went past simply ignoring his child from that point. Howard also grew more reclusive from the public.  
Tony took some self defence lessons but didn't use them. He mainly believed what Howard said and the rest of the time he was too scared.  
It had started with scathing insults and hurling bottles and ended one day when Tony was fourteen and Howard had pushed him down the stairs resulting in a severe concussion and three breaks in various bones.  
Throughout it all Jarvis had patched Tony up, told him it wasn't his fault and generally took care of him. The butler had tried to stop it multiple times, only to end with them both hurting.  
Jarvis told Tony that his soul mate would love him, as he had loved Anna. Jarvis told Tony that his soul mate must have complimented him with an action instead.  
Jarvis was the one who went to Tony's graduation from his weird boarding school. Jarvis was the one who acted like a parent and loved him. Jarvis was the one that took him away.  
"Agent Carter," Jarvis spoke as the woman came into the hospital room.  
"I've told you to call me Peggy, Edwin," she sighed.  
"Of course, ma'am," they laughed. It stopped suddenly when Peggy saw Tony lying pale in the hospital bed.  
"I cannot stand by anymore, I'm leaving and taking young Anthony with me. I would like your help with the paperwork," Jarvis told her.  
"What do you need?" She nodded.  
"I want to make it seem as though Anthony Stark never existed, at least on official paper. We can change his name, edit his birth certificate. I'd also like you to help me get Mr Stark to set up funds for us, so I can make Anthony's life away from him easier. If convincing him fails, would you help me do it anyway?" Jarvis asked.  
"Certainly,"

They wiped Anthony Stark from the records. The only thing they couldn't get rid of was the public knowledge of his existence. They changed his name to Andrew Carter on the records with Edwin Jarvis as his guardian and Tony was happy.  
Howard told the officials Tony had been kidnapped, with no trace, no ransom demand, nothing (Peggy helped him with the police under duress).  
Jarvis and Tony moved to a small city in Massachusetts, they lived in a medium sized apartment with two bedrooms, one had an en suite but the other was bigger. Tony took over the larger one turning half of it into a work space, he tinkered with parts he bought with the very generous (from being threatened by Peggy not from kindness) allowance that is transferred automatically to Jarvis's account every month while Jarvis got a job as a secretary to pay the bills and use some of his time.  
Tony dies his hair black and wears green contact lenses constantly.  
They lived peacefully for two years, Tony planning and designing things he would sell in his store after he went to college.  
When Tony was sixteen he applied to MIT with the edited documents of his previous schooling life which held the same perfect grades but said he had only just graduated high school, leaving no link to Anthony Stark. He got in with a full scholarship and he and his guardian celebrated with excessive amounts of pizza and bad celebrity gossip shows.

Two major events happened in Tony's first year.  
He had settled into the dorm easily, he had a single room as he was still two years younger than everyone. He called Edwin every Friday religiously and frantically ran between classes and the robotics lab laughing like a crazy person the rest of the time.  
Tony didn't have any friends for quite a while, he was smaller and smarter than everyone else and didn't care, it made more people punch him than like him. Tony started going to self defence classes and studying ninjutsu (because he found a detailed book and it sounded awesome) on his own. It helped, he started being able to dodge the punches and get away (he couldn't be bothered to fight back when his newly found bendiness meant he could dodge almost any poorly thought out punch).  
The teachers hated him for barely paying attention in class but being able to repeat their sentences and answer their questions easily.  
He spoke to some people who also used the labs he did but he usually commandeered a corner for himself early on.  
He was known as Andy and easily replied to it.  
He met James Rhodes running through a hallway, making a get away from a dick (bully but from what Tony knows of Steve from Howard, he'd rather be different). He ducks around a group of bystanders and looks back, glad he can't see the guy anymore, he continues on though, turns his head and is met with a chest to the face.  
They both fall over, Tony laughs and pulls the guy up and around the corner, he can hear pounding footsteps. The guy runs past and the one with Tony is now giving him a very strange look.  
"What?" Tony asks.  
"Aren't you a little small to be getting into fights?" The guy asks. Tony stands up straighter, he comes up just below the guys nose.  
"No? People just hate me, of course I know why buy what can you do about it?" Tony shrugs.  
"James," the guys holds out his hand, laughing, "James Rhodes,"  
"Andy," he introduces himself.  
It is the start of a beautiful friendship.  
Tony brings Rhodes home with him the next break, starts calling him Rhodey and tells him his name is Tony. Rhodes is understandably confused but accepts he won't get any more information out of his friend.  
A short while later Rhodey becomes the only person apart from Jarvis who can hand him things.  
The next break they go to Rhodey's. His mother tries to feed him, saying it will make him grow more and that he's too skinny anyway. She guilts him into sleeping properly on his stay. Tony smiles a lot and is adopted for the second metaphorical time.

A month before the end of the year Dummy is created. In the world of robotics, even being quite basic, the AI is revolutionary. Tony is so proud he almost cries when Dummy responds to the command to half him a wretch. Dummy of course, then drops it on Tony's foot, earning his name.  
Tony gets his first girlfriend the next year, she doesn't stay long enough to warrant being told his real name and no where near long enough to be allowed to hand him things. He moves on quickly when she dumps him. He dates both sexes, he doesn't care but often can't be bothered to put in the time for relationships and so often gets dumped. He doesn't mind, few he actually got to like anyway.  
Tony creates a bot every year of college, each less dumb than the last. He leaves at 19 with four doctorates and many job offers (including one from SI, he laughs). He takes the money he has saved from not having to spend Howard's money and from getting a job helping one of the teachers grade papers and buys a store. He gets a loan from the bank and creates, he build better versions of anything he can and produces a few of each on his assembly line.  
He calls the shop Andy's Tech. He doesn't just sell, he fixes or improves any technology anyone brings him. He uses the catch line 'I can upgrade anything'. He sells anything and everything from phones to washing machines, from lamps to speakers. Everything he sells he designed himself.  
He is the only worker of the shop, it is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every weekday and from 9a.m. to 6p.m. on Saturdays. It is shut on Sundays. Dummy brings him lunch every day. Tony's natural insomniac tendencies help with keeping him awake through hours of working. He also has a very advanced coffee machine behind the till. He does all the budget and all the making of products. The assembly line is controlled by the bots and is usually running. Tony starts a bigger AI project to run everything like that (too many silly bot interfering incidents) and do the finance stuff for the shop as well.  
Jarvis dies shortly after. The shop shuts for four days while Tony cries and drafts the personality of his AI after Jarvis. Peggy comes over, Tony cries on her. She said it's okay. Tony asks if she's been keeping tabs on him, she tells him she has but privately, she's no longer the director of SHIELD, she's getting old. Nobody knows of him, even the higher ups at SHIELD, Tony is pleased.  
When news of his father's death comes in the tabloids when Tony is 21, he doesn't react. He felt the same as if any celebrity died, mild interest, no painful sadness. He doesn't want SI, and he's sure Obadiah will run it fine.  
At that point, Tony had moved to a bigger store and actually made a bit of a name from himself. He has many customers and two employees. They both help him keep the store clean, in working order and run the till when he can't be bothered. Dummy still brings him lunch. Jarvis is proud.  
Around a year later Tony opens his own factory. The demand for his products is astounding and his assembly line doesn't make enough products quick enough. It's not very far from the shop and has five floors. A living floor at the top that Tony moves into, three working factory line floors and a workshop underground (in case of exploding parts). JARVIS is finally ready and working and runs everything perfectly for Tony. Products are made at a much faster rate.  
JARVIS is put in everything, even in the shop, he tells the customers too, by putting a sign on the glass so people can ask JARVIS things like a shop assistant. People prefer to talk to people though, so people rarely talk to J.  
Tony starts getting contracts to upgrade other factories worklines (he does but not to the level of his). He gets a few contracts from the army, he mostly upgrades defence. He points out flaws in armour, creates a new body mesh coating and even sees Rhodey in his work environment, trying to get promoted into the tech department. He sells them some new guns, a couple of shotguns, a couple of rifles but he doesn't sell them missiles or anything of mass destruction, he leaves that to Stane.  
Stane tries to recruit him regularly ignorant recognise Howard in him. Tony reckons he looks different enough, sharper features, beard added, bright green eyes and shorter, darker, spiky hair that it doesn't notice. Tony always refuses but does pop into the R&D department every year for quite the price but Stane doesn't care. Tony doesn't know why he charges so much, he's already a millionaire but he thinks it's probably because he hates the name Stark.  
At 23 he meets Pepper Potts there. She's only a couple of years older than him but scarily competent at her accounting work. She's arguing about a problem in the numbers that nobody will listen to. He helps her out then hires her himself. He also hires her husband, Happy mahogany as security detail at the shop, although Tony can fend for himself (to a great level), he gets Happy to teach him boxing.  
She runs the financial stuff and any meeting Tony has.  
He tells her his real name after a year. She doesn't ask questions.  
Then she asks one that nobody has before.  
"Have you found your soul mate?" She asks him one night, they're having a movie night, animated kids films and ice cream after work. It's the only way Pepper gets him out of the workshop every few months. Happy and Rhodey are there too as Rhodey's on leave and Happy was bored.  
"Yeah Tones, you never mention soul mates, you seem to actively avoid the subject," Rhodey adds. Tony sits there with the only people he trusts in the world and thinks, they won't hate him. He needs more opinions than Howard's and Jarvis's vastly different ideas.  
"It's a painful subject for me," he tells them. They look conflicted. Like threading want to hurt him but want to know.  
"It's one of the reasons my biological father hated me," he tells them, they gasp. He's never mentioned his real family and only Rhodey met Edwin.  
"How?" Asks Pepper. He pulls down his t-shirt so the marks on his right collarbone can be seen.  
"I've never seen a mark without words," Happy gasps.  
"My father said it was because I was worthless and there was nothing to compliment," he starts, talking in a very straight voice, trying to hold onto his emotions, Rhodey pulls him into his side.  
"Jarvis told me that's not true. He said either my soul mate was an idiot or he must not have complimented me with words but with action," he finishes.  
"I dunno man, I've never seen anything like it. I'm guessing it's why you also hate hospitals. But you're awesome so Edwin must be right," Rhodey answers.

At 25 Tony buys the rights to the arc reactor from SI and opens another shop, this one on the edge of New York City. The shop is massive and three floors tall. He always has at least ten people working in it.  
He builds another factory, much bigger and powered by the arc reactor. There are two workers, the original two, who he trusts, who work there. Tony doesn't move but visits the new shop once a month at first, once every quarter after a year. The arc reactor works perfectly.  
He starts work on new hospital equipment.  
He is eternally glad that he keeps the shops as a couple of department stores rather than delving into a full business. He is glad because it means that he doesn't have to deal with share holders or a board of directors, he and Pepper make all the decisions and he gets all the profit. Most of it is put straight back into development.  
Tony doesn't become a celebrity per say but when he makes something great or upgrades a hospital or when he opened the new shop, he appears in articles. He smiles and is full of jeans and green eyes, nobody connects the dots to Anthony Stark.  
That year Happy proposes to Pepper. They are married four months after. Tony is the best man, Rhodey gives Pepper away. Pepper's friend Mary is the only bridesmaid. Rhodey's mum comes, so do Happy's parents. Pepper's mum cries, wishing her dad could have seen it. Happy's mum and her get along like a house on fire. And they both take pictures of everything.  
Tony is sure it's the only time apart from Edwin's funeral that he wore something more formal than a dress shirt and slacks.

Tony does some wore work with hospitals, army firearms and general technology. He still creates all the tech in his shop himself and ends up only working on the floor three days a week for only half the day. He now employs three people who work where the old assembly line was, behind the shop floor, fixing anything people brings in. Tony upgrades most things given but spends his time creating new specs. Things settle down.

By 2008 the army only buys the bigger weapons from SI. When Tony is making a trip to a base in Afghanistan, to show them a few new bits he is taken. A missile with the Stark Industries logo lands to his right and he blacks out from the pain.  
He wakes up fuzzy, hands in and pain from his shoulder he screams himself hoarse while fingers dig out pieces of metal in his shoulder. When someone puts a red hot piece of metal on it he passes back out.

"What did you do to me?" He asks the man, looking where his left arm used to be.  
"I saved your life. Your arm was crushed, embedded with shrapnel. You would have bled out and the shrapnel would have travelled through your bloodstream," the man tells him stiffly.

Water boarding is painful and he doesn't know why these people are even trying, Tony can't build with out one arm. At least he has his dominant arm he thinks.

Tony agrees but builds an arm first. It's made of metal, the most advanced prosthetic he's ever seen. It's powered by a miniature arc reactor. The glow can be seen most of the time, whenever the outside vents are open. He creates synthetic nerves that connect to his shoulder and creates a base plate from them for the arm. He sticks a transmitter to his temple and plans to get it integrated when he gets home. He gives the arm moveable fingers that are big but will do the job, slowly none the less. The arm is made of hydraulics, moving parts. It's almost as real as his other.  
The suit is the solution but big and bulky. It moves but it is slow. It saves him but it does not save Yinsen. It flies but it crashes.

The press are at the bottom of the plane with Pepper and Happy, they ask a lot of questions, Tony says barely anything and Pepper handles it.  
He tells the army he will continue to upgrade the body armour but will not make a weapon again.  
He starts to build a better suit. He's in danger and SI weapons are being sold to terrorists, clearly no one knows so he will stop it himself.  
JARVIS and the bots are ecstatic upon his return.  
He has to get Pepper to unlatch the base plate of the arm, he can't do it himself because not only he can't see it but there's a couple of exposed nerve points touching each other. He has made a new arm and an integrated base plate that works with the electric signals from his brain. It is a titanium alloy painted black. It is beautiful, especially with the upgraded arc reactors light shining through the hatches that can be opened and closed at will. It sometimes overheats with the latches closed. The fingers are slimmer and move more delicately, there are hundreds of combined parts to the arm to make it greatly complex and easier to work with. It has almost the exact same shape as his other arm.  
He wears exclusively long sleeves and his special spandex gloves in the shop so nobody can tell. He gets lots of people telling him it's great to have him back, yes now can you fix my microwave etc. Nobody notices the gloves as he wore them a lot anyway as he regularly tinkered while working behind the counter. People who had been there before seem to think he's started listening to lab safety.  
When around his friends or alone though, Tony likes wearing shirts with only one sleeve, showcasing the arm.

Agent Coulson turns up at the shop two days after his new arm is installed. Tony is behind the register, fiddling with a holographic view of a tv.  
"Andrew Carter, I'm Agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. I need to debrief you on the events that occurred during your capture," he stated.  
"Hmm, set a date with my partner, she handles stuff like that," he replied, not looking up.  
"This is really quite important," he continued.  
"Okay, JARVIS, call Pepper here please," Tony instructed.

They never end up having the debrief.  
Tony perfected the suit, it's streamlined and shiny in black and red, black to match the arm, red because it needs to be flashy. It has another arc reactor that can't be seen in the centre of the chest but can take emergency power from the arm. He didn't want the arm to be the only power source as the arm can't run out of power. He wanted to make the reactor unseen but decided it would be useful for a backup weapon.  
Tony gets to destroying weapons in terrorists hands as Obadiah gets his hands on the mark 1.  
Obadiah doesn't get an arc reactor so the suit is huge to accommodate the batteries used. Tony wins easily but people still see the suit. They battle on SI property and Andy Carter, that guy who owns the couple of tech shops, is never connected.  
He still gets back from the shop the next day to find Nick Fury (warned off him by Peggy on their regular phone calls) waiting on his sofa.  
"'I can upgrade anything'" Nick starts, "even yourself it seems," looking at the exposed arm.  
"Yes," Tony tells him.  
"Some people see Iron Man as a terrorist. I prefer not to. However, you very much came out of the blue and people know nothing about you," Nick says.  
"Not my problem," Tony states, smirking.  
"But it is mine. You don't know it yet but you've just became part of something bigger," Fury states.  
"I am not involving myself with SHIELD,"  
"I'm here to talk to you about the Avengers Initiative,"  
"I don't think so, actually,"

Life carries on but now Tony deals with occasional calls and visits from SHIELD.  
Vanko turns up, having recognised the miniaturized arc reactor in Iron Mans chest. He attacks SI headquarters as whiplash. Tony flies over and stops it.  
The Hammer Drones are a nightmare. Tony thought Hammer was a dick already but he moves many places up Tony's shit-list for that debacle.  
The drones were presented to the military where Vanko took over and slew havoc around the base.  
Palladium poisoning leaked through the connected wires and took a back burner throughout the debacle. JARVIS and he couldn't find any alternative. Tony sorts out his will so everything to do with his shops goes to Pepper no argument and everything to do with anything else goes to Rhodey. He gave Rhodey a suit just as they had to fight the drones. There are tonnes of them, it's very good that SHIELD gave them back up.  
Natasha never gets in because Tony rarely hires and does all the background checks himself. No personality profiles are done on him.

He does become a SHIELD consultant, Iron Man does not become an agent. Fury is quite smug. Tony doesn't mind as long as Andy is separate from Iron Man. Fury seems to like irritating Tony by calling him an agent.  
Tony hacks their files on Howard and tries to find anything about Palladium and the arc reactor.  
He consults Pepper and Happy over dinner. Pepper cries when he tells her it will kill him but they manage to calm her down. Happy tells him to upgrade Palladium and light bulbs surge.  
He creates Anadium with the particle accelerator he builds in his workshop. Throughout his mad smashing he keeps the arms vents open and smile bright. The bots chirp horribly as he wildly creates. JARVIS approves.  
He installs the more powerful core in the arc reactors powering both of his factories.  
He moves the bigger shop to a different location. He buys a plot of land in Manhattan and builds it there. He powers it with the arc reactor, it will power itself for a couple of years. He builds himself another place to live on top of it.

Phil gets into the workshop with the folder of Avengers shit and Tony looks unimpressed.  
"I told you I wanted no part of this," Tony tells him as he places the file on the workbench in front of him.  
"This isn't about your feelings on SHIELD anymore," he is told.

He blasts 'Shoot to Thrill' through Natasha's speakers and threatens Loki with all his weapons. Loki stands down.  
Apparently Captain America wasn't told he was coming, Tony gets defensive when half of his childhood is rushing to the surface of his memory.  
"I have a plan. Attack," and Tony jumps out of the plane.  
When Thor's lightning hits he's incredibly glad the arm wasn't fried.  
Iron man disappears on the helicarrier and Andy walks into the gathering.

He plants the bugging device because he is suspicious. It's energy and Tony is the only one that knows anything about clean energy around there. Fury loves getting him in, because it annoys Tony.

He meets Bruce Banner.  
He walks in wearing a one-sleeve t-shirt, arm on display with the vents mostly closed. Everyone turns to look.  
"Finally, someone who speaks English," he smiles, Banner's smile faults, then gets a bit wobbly. Tony doesn't understand and notes to ask him when they're alone.  
"Is that what just happened?" Asks the Captain. Tony turns to look at him.  
Tony talks science and Bruce keeps up, he almost cries. As it is, he comments on the Hulk and asks him to go do science.  
"Why did you falter when I complimented you earlier?" Tony asks when they're away. Bruce pulls up him sleeve and there in Tony's handwriting are the words 'finally, someone who speaks English'.  
"I never understood how that was a compliment," he smiles shyly, Tony grins and decides not to push. Bruce doesn't ask to see his words and Tony is grateful, decides he'll show him when this has all blown over anyway.

Tony stands as close to Bruce as he can but doesn't touch, he can tell he'll have to use baby steps here. He leaves the vents to his arm open in a show of trust. Tony asks Bruce to come back with him, Bruce tells him how he broke Harlem. Tony tells him he trusts him.  
Steve walks in as Tony pokes Bruce. He instantly closes his arm's vents, Bruce doesn't miss it.  
"You need to strut," Tony tells Bruce.  
"And you need to focus on the problem," Rogers starts, "Mr?" He asks.  
"Carter," Tony tells him unaffected until he realises the mistake, Steve knew Peggy.  
"Are you related to Peggy?" He asks, eyes wide, edging closer.  
"Peggy is who?" Tony goes for nonchalant and succeeds, "and now who's not focusing on the problem?" He quips.  
Tony thinks Steve is an idiot because he genuinely believes Fury isn't doing something dirty. Bruce backs him up.  
"Fury loves to treat me like an agent because I hate it. He brings me in for anything and I'm the only person who knows anything about clean energy. He's hiding something," Tony states. Steve tells him to follow orders. He leaves, Tony sighs and opens the vents, flexes the metal arm and shakes his head, trying not to think of Howard.  
"You know, I got this arm when mine was blown off in the desert," Tony starts, "it's part of me now," he tries.  
"It's different," Bruce states, "it's not uncontrollable," he shakes his head.  
"Because I adjusted the situation to fit me, you can do it too," Tony smiles.

Rogers finds the weapons, clearly they weren't hidden very well.  
Fury tells them they are hopelessly outgunned and while Tony knows this, he's angry.  
"You should be doing more," Steve tells him.  
"And what have you been doing this whole time?" Tony grates out.  
"Why are you even here? You're not a hero, stop pretending to be one," Steve growls.  
"A hero? Like you? Everything that's special about you was given to you," he laughs.  
When Bruce drops the bombshell he doesn't even hesitate, he puts an arm around his shoulders, pleased when Bruce leans into it. He's still angry.  
"You wanna know my secret? You want to know how I stay calm?" He asks, stepping away from Tony. The scepter glows and the computer goes off.  
The helicarrier explodes.

"Where's Iron Man?" Yells Captain.  
"Heading towards the site," Tony answers.  
"Carter, direct Iron Man to fix the engine," is his command, made to cover his identity. Tony runs to the suit and fixes the engine. Bruce goes missing.  
Coulson dies.

"He's made it personal," he tells Steve, pacing. Iron Man stands beaten but almost functional by his side, he doesn't talk, Steve tries to. "He hit us where we live, why?"  
"To tear us apart,"  
"He wants to beat us but it has to be grand. He wants to be seen doing it, a spectacle," he muses, "he'll need somewhere populated, he wants an audience,"  
"I caught that at Stuttengard,"  
"That was just a preview. He needs to top that. He wants to be centre stage. He needs a power source. He's a full diva," Tony grumbles, "I need to connect the pieces," he groans, he turns to look at Iron Man.  
"Sir," JARVIS starts.  
"Son of a bitch," Tony breathes.  
"What?" Steve asks.  
"He needs a power source, it needs to be noticeable, seen. He's at my fucking new store, the arc reactor. That's what he's using," he shouts, storming out of the room, JARVIS commanding the suit to follow.

"I've disengaged the arc reactor but the device it's already self-sufficient," JARVIS tells Tony while he flies.  
"I need the mark VII to meet me outside, bring it from the workshop," he commands.  
"It has not yet been field tested," JARVIS informs him.  
"Skip the spinning rims we're on a schedule,"

He flies badly towards his Massachusetts factory, the mark VII is on the roof. It folds around him and he goes supersonic to Manhattan.  
Selvig is looking at the sky, standing on top of his store, Loki is next to him.  
"Turn it off, doctor Selvig,"  
"I can't! It's too late! He wants to show us something, a new universe!" Loki smirks from his spot.  
"Okay," Tony fires his repulsors at the device, it blows backwards, Selvig passes out, Loki stands back up.  
"The barrier is pure energy," JARVIS informs him, the portal opens. Loki laughs.  
He sends a missile towards some of them, it doesn't take out many. He guides a squad following him towards the quinjet then heads up to take some out as they come through the portal.  
Bruce shows as the Leviathan follows Iron Man.  
"Tell him to suit up, I'm bringing the party to you," he speaks into the comms.  
"I don't see how that's a party," Romanoff sighs, the Avengers look upwards.  
Hawkeye runs out of arrows, Widow gets to the portal and Rogers tries to save civilians. Thor looks troubled, Hulk causes property damage. The portal needs to close.  
Barton explodes Loki's face, Romanoff finds the safety net for the tesseract and Hulk smashes Loki into the ground of the top floor in his shop, the living floor. It's only ten stories tall, only four being used for a shop. He looks proud of himself.  
Natasha find a how to close the portal as they start to become overwhelmed.  
Then the nuke comes.  
"I know just where to put it," he tells them, flying towards the missile.  
He tries to call Pepper, he wants a friend in his last moments, when it fails he thinks at least he'll die with a friendly face in view.  
He closes his eyes and floats.

The Hulk catches him, then promptly throws him on the floor. The others don't rip off his mask, his identity was threatened as a secret in his file. They look worriedly at the dark arc reactor, no light in his chest.  
The Hulk roars, he jerks awake.  
"Please tell me nobody kissed me," he states.  
Loki looks like death, Tony laughs and the noise comes out strangely through the voice modulator. Tony realises he's going to have to repair his building and sighs.

A few weeks later they meet up to send the Asguardians home. Tony is there as Iron Man.  
Bruce is now living with Tony above the shop in Manhattan. He's getting more business than ever thanks to people replacing lost goods. He puts some of his money into rebuilding and release efforts. Pepper stays in Massachusetts, looking after that store and factory. Tony looks over the store and factory in New York City and works in the one he lives above.  
He's managed to get the minor damaged repaired quickly. There's his floor on top, Bruce stays there too. Then there's a floor of guest suites. Three lab floors, the bottom one of which belongs to Bruce. There's a floor with rooms for Pepper and Happy and Rhodey when they come to stay below that. It also holds a meeting room and a gym. The bottom four floors are the shop, many people work there.  
He still goes in for SHIELD consultant work, Bruce knows his identity, the others don't. They start a relationship. Bruce becomes the only person apart from Rhodey to see him without contact lenses in.  
Steve goes off to see America the spies go back to SHIELD.  
Bruce survives the immense shovel talk bothered Rhodey and Pepper give him. He says Pepper's was scarier no matter that Rhodes wore the suit.

A few months later when Doctor Doom turns up and the Fantastic Four are unable to make it. They're sent in. During the debrief Fury tells then he wants them to live together for emergency despatch situations. Tony refuses on the spot.  
"We already have places to stay, they're all writhing relative distance, why do we have to move?" He asks, not half the annoyance he feels showing through the voice modulator.  
"It will improve team dynamics and allow you to dispatch quicker," Fury states, Rogers comments on wanting better team work.  
"There is no way I'm moving into SHIELD lodgings, I have a day job," he states.  
"You do?" Asks Clint.  
"Of course, it's why my identity is hidden," he replies.  
"Well they can live with you. I know you have room," Nick smirks.  
"Yes I have spare bedrooms, doesn't mean I want them there,"  
"Tough luck, Agent,"  
"Keep calling me that and see if I'll let them move in," he growls.  
The Avengers move into the second floor. There are four bedroom, three bathrooms, a room with a TV and a kitchen. They think it's fine. The spare bedroom is left for Thor.  
"Where's Dr Banner's room?" Asks Romanoff.  
"He lives on my floor," Tony states as Andy, standing with the armour next to him in their living room.  
"Because he's your soul mate?" Asks Barton, Tony levels a glare.  
"Because he's my boyfriend and because I can," Tony states.  
"It's so nice of you to let us live here, Mr Carter. Why does Iron Man live with you?" Steve asks.  
"Because he works in my store. I made the Iron Man armour you know," he tells him.

Steve starts weekly team dinner that they do in the Avengers' kitchen and movie night that they do in Tony's (as it has bigger sofas and TV), he goes always as Iron Man and sometimes as Tony. The team also train twice a week at between the gym and SHIELD facilities, Tony only ever goes as Iron Man.  
They settle in quickly although work on the team aspect is slow. The Avengers are all uncertain of JARVIS'S access and find the voice freaky for a while. They laugh at Tony's banter with the AI.  
After four months of living together, the press find out where the Avengers are staying. They call a press conference, Tony gives a statement saying it's because he didn't want to live in SHIELD facilities and he made the armour. No he isn't Iron Man but he has to oversee what the armour is used for and repair it. Iron Man lives with him so naturally so do the Avengers.  
Just after that he tells Bruce about his real name, he looks like he wants to ask but pulls back. He gets into the habit of calling him Tony in private. He also asks about his soulmark. Tony's theory is the compliment was that the Hulk was upset about someone's death. That hadn't happened before. Bruce smiles.  
When Tony asks Bruce if he's still afraid of the Other Guy, he says yes. Tony asks why and Bruce tells him it's because there's no way to stop him. Tony starts the development of the Hulk-Buster.  
Natasha walks in on Tony dying his hair, she doesn't ask why he does. Tony guesses she thinks it's because of grey hairs. It probably doesn't cross her mind that it's so people distinguish the difference between black and brown.

After a year of living together Bruce is living in Tony's room, things are going in the right direction.  
Tony and the Avengers are watching a movie, Iron Man isn't around. It's a Saturday evening, the shop is closed. They've built friendships amongst themselves and Tony is thinking of telling them about Iron Man. Not his name, that's too precious for SHIELD.  
Tony is sitting half on top of Bruce, commenting constantly on the movie, Clint joins him. Natasha periodically hits Clint while Bruce tries to cover Tony's mouth with his hand. Nothing deters the two.  
There is an attack. It's apparently Hydra. There aren't lots of agents but they're outnumbered 3 to 1. It surprises everyone when Tony can actually fight. He takes down three people himself, stopping them from getting then to Bruce, preventing a Hulk appearance. They get SHIELD to extract the unconscious men and go back to their movie. Everyone stares at Tony.  
He explains to them that he's had training, lots of it he taught himself. Tony couldn't be bothered to explain why further than 'it looked cool'.  
Soon after Tony tells them he's Iron Man.

When Bruce slips up and calls him Tony in front of the Avengers they both freeze.  
"Andy, why did Bruce call you Tony?" Clint asks.  
"Because technically, that's my name," he states slowly, sipping his coffee.  
"Your name is Andy," Steve states.  
"That's what they call me," he laughs.  
"But Bruce just called you Tony," Clint states.  
"Yep," Tony pops the 'p'.  
"I'm confused," Steve sighs.  
"My name is Andy, but it was not the name my parents gave me. That is Tony," they drop it.  
Tony wakes up in a hospital, he groans and shifts, Bruce from the chair besides him jumps and smiles.  
"You're awake," he beams, not letting go of his hold on Tony's hand.  
"How long was I out?" He asked.  
"Eighteen hours, you hit your head pretty hard," Bruce tells him.  
He is allowed home on supervision of Bruce the next day, the Avengers are waiting for him in his living room.  
"You're Tony Stark," Natasha tells him after the heartfelt hellos were done.  
"Erm, no," Tony tries.  
"Carter from Peggy Carter, she must have changed your records. You were born in the same year, you look similar to younger pictures and Howard. You have the same grades. Your eyes are brown, not green," she states, Tony sighs.  
"Yep," Tony states.  
"The world thinks you died," Clint states.  
"That's how it stays. This does not go to SHIELD or anywhere else," Tony tells them.  
"Why did you leave?" Steve asks.  
"Jarvis knew it wasn't safe anymore. The abuse had gotten ridiculous so Peggy helped us run," Tony tells them, Steve looks heartbroken over the news of his friends actions, Bruce stands comfortingly close as Tony struggles with his emotions.  
"Soo... Can we call you Tony?" Clint asks.

Bruce proposes a month later. They manage to get Peggy out of the home she's in for the wedding. It's one of her good days, Tony is elated.  
Tony goes proper white-girl over the wedding, Natasha and Clint help.  
"Embrace your inner white-girl," Tony tells them, laughing.  
Tony makes them walk around with Starbucks and scarves as they make arrangements. It's hilarious.

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a HydraBrainwashed!Tony fic with an arm like the one I have here. And I loved the idea of controlling the moving components to let out more/less of the arc reactor glow depending on his mood so I used it here.  
> So Hulk was the first superhero movie I ever saw and until recently I just couldn't figure out what about him creeped me out so much. It wasn't his unproportional body or green skin. So I was rewatching Avengers Assemble about eight months ago and there's that bit where the Hulk grins, right? And I realised like what makes Ponyo so creepy (human face on a fish) was that the Hulk had perfectly straight, human teeth, even with his squished face. I dunno if anyone else agrees (tell me) but it just creeps me out.  
> I've been writing a lot recently, only one- shots as they're written on my kindle, it's almost difficult. I've one more Tony idea and one Ereri one that are in urgent need of being written so Ima try and get them done asap.  
> My Tumblr is always open for messages, tell me what you think.  
> -fairiesteel.tumblr.com


End file.
